Return Of The SSS-Class Hunter-Chapter 135: Until Only One Remains

Cherry Doyle's body lay sprawled on the arena floor, battered, his once-proud expression frozen in disbelief.

For a moment… No one spoke.

The arena, which had been roaring with cheers and shouts just seconds earlier, fell into an eerie silence.

Then

A single clap echoed through the arena.

Then another.

And another.

And suddenly, applause spread like wildfire.

Some still couldn't accept it. But most could no longer deny what Derek had just achieved. A wave of noise exploded.

"He won… again!"

"He beat Cherry Doyle!"

"That was the ninth ranker from the last half-yearly ranker's test!"

"He is insane!"

"No, he's awesome." A girl said in awe.

The instructors exchanged looks. Many students stood up from their seats. Even many fourth-years couldn't hide the shock on their faces anymore.

Derek slowly straightened his posture and exhaled. His breathing was steady. His grip on the sword was firm. His daggers were hovering behind him. His gaze swept across the arena.

There were still nine participants standing.

Nine. And not a single one of them was weak. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Linda stood on the far side, her expression complicated, fists clenched at her sides. She had watched the fight in silence, and now she looked at Derek with eyes full of caution and a trace of unease. 'Where the hell is Fredrick? He is absent when we need him the most.' She cursed inwardly.

Cecilia Glaciblade stood a little apart from the others, her present silver-blue hair fluttering gently, her sword resting against her shoulder. Her gaze was sharp, calm, and unreadable.

The remaining seven were all fourth-year students. And all of them were from legacy families. Every single one of them. They were the elites. The monsters who had dominated the academy for years. The ones who were used to standing at the top.

Cherry's defeat wasn't just a loss; it was a devastating blow. It was a slap across all of their faces.

"So…" one of them finally spoke, his voice cold. "It seems we underestimated you."

He stepped forward. He was tall, broad-shouldered, wearing crimson robes embroidered with flame patterns.

"I am Rovan Keld, from the Keld Family," he said proudly. "Last test, I ranked seventh."

His eyes burned with arrogance and battle intent. "You beat Cherry. Fine. But don't think that means you can challenge all of us."

Flames slowly gathered around his hands.

"Let's see how long your body can last."

'So his affinity is fire. And he's even stronger than the last one.' Derek thought.

The audience immediately grew excited again.

"Rovan Keld! He's a fire mage. He is going to roast that kid!"

"Yeah! Yeah! You said that last time as well, that Cherry is this, Cherry is that, but he lost anyway."

"You don't get it. He's much stronger than Cherry."

"So what? That kid is strong as well. And the way he is fighting, I am sure we haven't witnessed what he is truly capable of yet."

"Now this will be interesting."

Derek didn't say much. He raised his sword slightly.

"Are you going to attack first?" he asked calmly. "Or should I take the initiative?"

Rovan's lips twitched. "Confident, aren't you? Good."

The next instant....

BOOM!

The ground exploded as Rovan slammed his foot down. A sea of fire surged forward like a tidal wave. The temperature of the entire arena spiked. Students in the front rows could feel their faces heating up.

Fourth-year students were no newbies. They were trained in different attack spells.

Derek moved.

Lightning flashed under his feet. He didn't dodge backward. He charged straight in.

"What?!" Rovan's eyes widened. He raised his hands again. Fireballs condensed and shot forward one after another, exploding around Derek.

But Derek weaved through them.

Too fast.

Too clean.

He burst through the flames, his clothes slightly scorched, but his momentum never stopped.

Rovan gritted his teeth and raised both hands. "Flame Armor!"

Fire wrapped around his body, forming a blazing defensive shell.

Shhhh!

A hiss echoed as Derek's sword slammed into the flaming armor. The impact shook Rovan's entire body.

"You are strong. But not enough," Derek said calmly.

Then...

He stepped in and drove his shoulder forward.

BOOM!

Rovan was sent flying, crashing across the arena floor and rolling several times before slamming into the barrier.

The flames around him dispersed. He didn't get back up.

One more down for the count.

This time, it wasn't silence that welcomed the outcome. Instead, the arena exploded in cheers and shouts.

"Damn! He won again."

"Told ya. I don't think anyone can beat him."

"Is this student even human?!"

Derek didn't get the chance to relax. Another voice drew his attention.

A thin boy with pale skin and dark blue robes stepped forward, his eyes cold and calculating. "I am Veyron Hale, from the Hale Family. I ranked sixth in the last half-yearly test." Though he also had the surname 'Hale', it was actually one of the legacy families.

His hands lifted slightly. The air around him turned damp and heavy.

"He is a water magic user," someone in the audience whispered.

Water condensed out of thin air, forming dozens of sharp, floating blades. "Your speed won't matter if the entire battlefield is under my control," Veyron said calmly.

The water blades shot forward from every direction.

Derek's eyes remained calm, composed. He twisted, stepped, and blurred. Lightning Pace exploded to its limit. Water blades grazed his clothes, sliced the ground, and shattered against the arena floor, but not a single one hit him directly.

Veyron's pupils shrank. "What the hell? How can he dodge all of them?!"

Derek closed in. Veyron's hands moved rapidly. "Water Prison!"

A massive sphere of compressed water formed around Derek, trying to trap him inside.

For a split second, the audience thought he was caught.

But just then....

BOOM! One clean slash of Derek's sword cleaved it in half. The entire thing burst apart.

Derek came out like a bolt of thunder.

Before Veyron could react....

The hilt of the sword slammed into his stomach.

Thud!

Veyron's eyes rolled back as he was sent flying.

One more down. Seven more remained.

The next one stepped forward immediately, his expression ugly. A bulky boy with gray armor and brown robes. "I am Goran Tusk, earth mage. Rank fifth." He said proudly. Though only a few remained, whoever challenged Derek lost miserably; these few still chose to fight one-on-one. Because, even if they won with a joint effort, it would be no less shameful than losing for a legacy family. And for people like them, pride was more important.

Goran stomped the ground. The arena floor shook violently. Walls of stone rose up. Spikes erupted. The arena turned into a maze of death traps.

Derek moved across the shifting terrain, his steps precise, his movements razor-sharp. With his heightened sense, these traps were nothing more than child's play to him.

Goran roared and slammed both hands down. "Crush!"

The ground tried to swallow Derek.

But Derek jumped. Twisted. And sent his double daggers whistling through the air.

The blades spun through the air like a bolt of lightning.

Goran's eyes widened. He wanted to defend but...

Too late.

The daggers slammed into his chest armor and knocked him flat on his back.

Before he could get up.....

Derek was already there.

One kick. BOOM!

One more down.

Four.

Now, the atmosphere had changed entirely. The remaining five fourth-years were no longer calm. Their expressions were grim.

"How can this be?" one of them muttered.

Another stepped forward. "I am Sylas Vorn. A wind mage. Rank fourth."

The wind howled. He shot forward like a hurricane.

But...

Derek was faster.

Two blurs collided.

The audience couldn't even see what had happened clearly. Only when they separated did they realize....

Sylas was already on the ground.

One more Down. Five.

The next two didn't even wait. They attacked together. They no longer bothered about their pride.

One used light magic. The other used dark magic.

Beams and shadows twisted together, trying to trap Derek from both sides.

For the first time...

Derek slowed down. But only slightly. He took a deep breath. And then he started moving again, between light and shadow, like he was walking through gaps in reality itself.

One strike.

Two strikes.

Both fell.

Seven were out of commission. Only three remained.

Linda.

Cecilia.

And one last fourth-year.

The last fourth-year student, other than Linda, stepped forward slowly.

"I am Arden Frostveil. Ice mage."

The temperature dropped instantly. Frost spread across the arena floor. But Derek simply looked at him.

"You all should come at once, or it's getting boring," Derek said.

Arden's face darkened. "How arrogant...."

He was about to say something, but didn't get to finish.

Derek moved again.

Three seconds later....

Arden was on the ground.

Now....

Only two remained. Linda and Cecilia. Linda clenched her fists. She looked at Derek for a long moment. Then she smiled bitterly. "I know I can't beat you." She raised her hand.

"I surrender."

The arena went quiet. Only one person remained standing.

Cecilia Glaciblade.